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Life Lately: On Death and New Beginnings

For those of you who follow me on social media (instagram), you may know that as I was finishing my last week of MS4 rotations, I received the devastating news that my grandmother passed away. I had never felt so sad and terrible before in my life. I was very close to my grandmother; her and my grandfather were like second parents throughout my childhood and adolescence. They are some of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters on my path to becoming a doctor. I'm the only grandchild, and their absolute pride and joy.
Throughout this time, I learned just how important family and friends are during periods of great sadness. My family and I supported each other heavily throughout the multiple wakes, excruciatingly long flights to and from Portugal, her funeral, and all our sudden outbursts of crying. It was an emotionally and physically exhausting time. Throughout all of this I also had to travel back and forth to Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago - unfortunately, reality stops for no one. Luckily, my new angel has been making sure everything run smoothly, and none of us have gotten sick. The highlight of this month has been my graduation from medical school. It was bittersweet, since my grandmother was counting down the days for me to bring my medical degree home to show her, but I believe she was watching me walk across that stage on June 3rd. Tomorrow, I jump in the car again (with mom and dad), and eventually bid them farewell as I embark on a new journey into residency.

Before I leave you, I thought I would share a few lessons I learned through this ordeal:1. Don't take life too seriously. Your problems are rarely as severe as you think they are.2. Appreciate every moment you have with someone, be they young or old. You never know when it will be your last time seeing their face and hearing their voice. Make it memorable, make it happy.3. You're stronger than you think you are.